I don't own bleach and anyone who says otherwise is a liar. Come on folks, I may be good, but I'm not that good.

This is the second instalment of my 'tales of the manipulated'. A mirror to Izuru's story, "My imitated smile". A story in which gaps will be filled and the other half of the story will be told. Again, this will be a story detailing pain, angst, suffering, despair and physical and mental abuse – this time of Gin.

This is a mature rated story, mainly because of the adult themes and the sexual and psychological abuse. Minors really should not be here. This story gets dark, twisted, and violent in places. And I warn you now there will be graphic abuse scenes and some amount of bad language.

There also may be some implied AizenxGin if, and only if, you want it to be so. Again, like with 'My imitated smile' it is not written as yaoi and any implications are unintentional unless explicitly stated otherwise. So just interpret it as you wish.

All feedback is welcome and reviews are optional, but if you simply must review please be nice and keep all criticism constructive. I really do appreciate all of my reviews, and so will most likely end up replying to some of them.

All that said, enjoy this twisted tale of the manipulation of the mentalist that is Ichimaru Gin.

"Mentalist, noun - Someone who uses mental acuity, hypnosis and/or suggestion. A master manipulator of thoughts and behaviour"
- definition taken from The Mentalist

Prologue: A definition

Ichimaru Gin was a mentalist. A manipulator.

But even the manipulators can get manipulated. As seen in this case, where the very definition of the word would get completely redefined.

Now the manipulator here is someone that would be thought as someone kind and trusting. One who you could rely on. But there was another side to him. A darker side. A twisted side. A side that nobody else except Gin would ever know of. A side that would break Gin down completely, and never rebuild him again. A side that would hurt and scar him so much that the wounds would never disappear. Create wounds that not even time could heal. The smile of Ichimaru Gin hides more than meets the eye. It is this smile that hides the suffering. It is this smile that masks pain.

It is this smile that lies, has been lying, and will always continue to lie.

Ichimaru Gin was indeed a manipulator, even from the very beginning. But what happened when he met a mentalist with abilities far greater in the realms of manipulation than his own?

How does one manipulate the mentalist?

Let me tell you the story from the beginning. And tell you how Gin was manipulated, and the story of how he became both an abuser and an abused. But let me warn you now, this is no heart warming story, and there are no happy endings here.